Saudi Arabia will impose a 24 hours nationwide curfew during the five-day Eid al-Fitr holiday later in May 2020 to fight the coronavirus, the interior ministry said yesterday.
The kingdom, which has reported the most number of virus cases within the Gulf region, is scrambling to limit the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.
A full lockdown will be reapplied all over the country from May 23-27, the ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press agency. the amount coincides with the Muslim festival that marks the conclusion of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Most parts of KSA were put on full lockdown following the Coronavirus pandemic, but last month the govt. eased the curfew between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
Malls and retailers are allowed to resume, except in major hotspots including the Mecca — where confirmed cases have risen, despite a strict lockdown.
The health ministry said Tuesday the amount of deaths due to COVID-19 rose to 264 and confirmed infections to 42,925, while 15,257 people have cured.
Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round “umrah” pilgrimage over fears of the disease spreading in Islam’s holiest cities in March.
Authorities are yet to declare whether or not they will move with this year’s hajj which is scheduled for late July — but they urged Muslims to postpone preparations for the annual pilgrimage for now. Last year, some 2.5 million faithful travelled to KSA from all over the world to participate in hajj, which Muslims are obliged to perform a minimum of once during their lifetime.
The Saudi Arabi has the biggest economy among the Arab world, they have also shut down cinemas and restaurants and halted flights since attempts to contain the virus.
King Salman has alerted of a “more difficult” battle ahead against COVID-19, because the kingdom faces the double blow of virus-led shutdowns and crashing oil prices.
